Ventilation, and heat during New Hampshire winters?

[kelly77]

We are restoring an old coop and run...we live in NH and this is our first attempt at raising chickens and ducks. Right now the chicks are 4 weeks old and in my house the ducks are coming in 3 weeks and will be 8weeks old. Here are some photos of the coop...I was thinking of opening the upper vents in the roof and building some kind of flap for winter...should we have heat too? Our chicks are Silkies so they could get cold right? Please help
and there is a rubber roof
no clue why the people before us closed up the windows like this

 

[Fred's Hens]

We are just as cold, and perhaps colder in winter. We cannot heat our barn, so there is no attempt to do so. We only keep hardy breeds, Barred Rocks, etc, so my guidance wouldn't be all that much good to you. What I can say is that ventilation is of utmost importance. Birds expel a lot of moisture and the poop is moist and ammonia gas buildup is unhealthy. Our barn is wide open at the eves, which allows for free flow of air, year around.

Sorry, I don't know a thing about the needs of Silkies.

 

[thismama]

I am converting a metal shed into a coop and also live in a cold northern climate....should I insulate? Should I use hay bales as a form of insulation during the winters? What is too much ventilation? etc etc etc...

 

[Brookliner]

Reply to kelly77, you will want to replace the chicken wire with hardware cloth. I am sure Canterbury has even more predators than I do in Brookline. Read the article on ventilation on the home page it should explain it.